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Support Class (XCOM: Enemy Unknown)
The Support Class is one of the Soldier Classes in the game XCOM: Enemy Unknown. The primary role of the Support Class is to keep the team alive and/or provide covering fire. They can learn to use Medikits more efficiently, cover the battlefield with smoke grenades and run further than other classes. Their covering fire and suppression abilities can help control enemy movement on the battlefield. XCOM Database Soldiers trained in the support class serve as both field medics and logistical support to the squad they are attached to. Equipped with medical supplies, smoke grenades and other items, these troops ensure the safe return of all units deployed in the field. Weapons The Support Class can be equipped with Rifles and Pistols. Abilities When a soldier is promoted, certain ranks give the player the option to choose 1 from the 2 available abilities to give to their soldier. Skill Comparisons Support Class skill tree is bipolar: it can be built as a medic specialist (left side) or as an Overwatch specialist (right side). Sprinter vs. Covering Fire Sprinter is preferred for most cases: * Sprinter is highly effective for gaining strong positioning, gaining flanks others wouldn't, supporting an isolated squadmate others can't, and finding full cover when others would come up short. It aids in entering melee for use of the Arc Thrower, making the Support the ideal choice for capturing live aliens. It also allows a Support equipped with a Medikit to rapidly cover ground to stabilize the fallen and wounded. Later with Deep Pockets, a Support can equip both a Medikit and an Arc Thrower allowing you to do both in every mission, further maximizing the benefits from the Sprinter perk. This bonus stacks with the Skeleton Suit, providing unmatched mobility. An essential promotion. * Covering Fire has notable synergy with Rifle Suppression, allowing reactive fire against a target who fires while suppressed, and the Colonel upgrade Sentinel, increasing the likelihood of two shots per Overwatch in an engagement (however, it does not trigger until after they fire). At higher difficulties, you will generally hunker down with an alien in sight and only Overwatch after a short retreat, forcing the alien to move up and be fired on reactively as they are exposed, before they fire. This strategy is greatly superior to Covering Fire as you'll shoot first and often kill the would-be aggressor. As such, this ability is rarely influential. Firing at enemies in cover rarely strikes the target and expends a great deal of ammo. In the early game, you won't have access to Rifle Suppression, essential to making this promotion worthwhile. Covering Fire will occasionally land on enemies firing from half cover, though it will generally be a wasted shot, and as you can't control the Overwatch trigger, it will sometimes trigger on enemies in full cover first and almost always be a wasted shot. In the mid game when taken with Rifle Suppression, it adds damage on exposed/flanked targets held in Overwatch/Suppression that fire on the squad. In the late game, you'll assemble the full combo, but no critical hits on reactive fire combined with the Support's inferior endgame weaponry makes his reaction fire of mediocre value at this point. Give this a pass. Note: Soldiers with Covering Fire will now shoot before their targets in Enemy Within. Field Medic vs. Smoke and Mirrors Field Medic is preferred for most cases: * Field Medic is one of the best overall upgrades for the class. Three heals allows liberal use of the Medikit and means you can keep the squad topped off between firefights. If soldiers fall, you have three stabilizations, which can avert disaster. Once you have a Sergeant Support, seriously consider the Medikit Foundry upgrade against other expenses. * Smoke and Mirrors can suit a movement minimalism grand strategy, where your squad tends to get into a lot of long range shootouts against small numbers of enemy troops. These squads generally have 2 Heavies for breaking cover and 2 S.H.I.V.s for tanky suppression, and rely on a beeline to Drone Capture and S.H.I.V. Repair. Smoke protects the S.H.I.V.s as they absorb enemy fire, and the Support (and others) carry an Arc Thrower to keep the shivs propped up. However, while this is viable at all difficulties, the Dual Squadsight Sniper carry Grand Strategy is traditionally regarded as superior. Given the strength of Snipers at ending standoffs quickly, the tendency of aliens to grenade and poison in the mid game, and the long range grenades and psionics late game, the niche for Smoke and Mirrors is quite small. But there are a few times, notably when your promoted Snipers were lost and you are stuck on the S.H.I.V. path, where it can be a decent alternative pick. Revive vs. Rifle Suppression Rifle Suppression is preferred for most cases: * Revive is quite strong, able to get the critically wounded back into the fight and keeping more men on the field and firing at the enemy. It has strong synergy with the Officer Training Don't Die On Me that makes it more likely that highly promoted troops fall critically wounded instead of being killed. Revive won't see much use, but when it does, it can salvage a mission that has gone horribly wrong, turning a potential party wipe out into victory or at worst allow you to get wheels up with more of your top personnel on board. * Rifle Suppression will see frequent use, and will keep fire off your squad with moderate effectiveness. The Support has weak offensive options, unlike the Heavy, who shouldn't waste turns suppressing. On Impossible difficulty, you'll need two suppress effects on a target to disable that combatant's weapon fire against your troops. This promotion is powerful for neutering Sectopods, who fire twice per turn, and with 2 Suppression effects, both will always miss against targets in cover. Both Revive and Rifle Suppression are worthwhile and it is unclear which is better, though Revive may have a slight edge. A movement minimalism grand strategy will want the extra suppression, a sniper carry team will want Revive. Dense Smoke vs. Combat Drugs Dense Smoke is preferred for most cases: * Dense Smoke increases the core functionality of smoke grenades. The 40 total bonus defense Dense Smoke adds to exposed allies can save them from lethal critical fire. When used on allies in high cover, you can force aliens to use abilities, advance, or waste a turn, as 80 defense is almost impenetrable. Even on Impossible difficulty, enemies will be hard pressed to land shots on you if you are in cover and in smoke. The trouble with Dense Smoke is that you generally don't want aliens grenading, as it is both unavoidable damage and it tends to destroy your cover, leading to an soldier being exposed and picked off... and that's exactly what aliens will do if Dense Smoke goes up in destructible cover. The increased area of effect on Dense Smoke helps for keeping your troops spread out to minimize the effects of enemy grenades somewhat, and it will still be extremely effective when paired with S.H.I.V.s or indestructible cover. A decent promotion. * Combat Drugs makes your smoke grenade into a Swiss army knife of utility options. It is worth noting here that Combat Drugs adds +20 Aim to attackers in the smoke as well, even though this bonus is not listed in the talent's description. This is by far the best advantage it grants, and it can be relevant in many encounters. 20 Aim and 10 Crit on two HEAT Ammo shots, or an In The Zone spree can reshape the battle as you know it. The critical chance gain is marginal and the Will bonus tends to not impact psionic encounters more than simply having an extra turn to shoot them in the brains. The key to using Combat Drugs is to keep a note of critical situations where you have 80% hit, 90% crit, or just below 100% psionic ability situations, as Combat Drugs can bolster these to a 100% guarantee. If you aren't using it to garner a key 100%, the offensive gains of Combat Drugs are questionable as you lose your Support's weapon fire in the turn you deploy smoke. It is when the smoke is needed defensively as well that this promotion shines. It is worth noting that the Aim bonus greatly assists otherwise inaccurate Heavies in overcoming the Overwatch Aim penalty, which leads to more Rapid Reaction hits. Combat drugs also supports lower ranking troops in landing shots to help gain them more promotions. An interesting alternative to Dense Smoke. Note: In Enemy Within, the Aim bonus has been removed, so the above statement is no longer true. Savior vs. Sentinel Both are equally preferred for most cases: * Savior is a strong final pick. With Field Medic you'll have three heals for 8 hp or 10 hp with the Foundry upgrade. Before the Medikit upgrade this doubles Medikit value, and after increases it 66%. Savior is a significant, reliable increase to the core strength of the class, and like Field Medic, is hard to pass up. * Sentinel allows two Overwatch shots in a turn. Covering Fire and Sentinel work well together as stated before. Sentinel now triggers twice on packs waking up, and you can count on it triggering twice in an engagement. It can be handy, but the Support's endgame weapon loadout is the weakest of all the classes. At this point in the game other squadmates do significantly more damage with their specialized weaponry and substantial critical hit bonuses. You are generally better off keeping everyone topped up with Savior and leaving the killing to the rest. Builds and Tactics Combat Medic Rifleman :Sprinter, Field Medic, Revive, Dense Smoke, Savior Support Class "savior build" with 4 Savior Medikits and a Dense Smoke Grenade which ensures the squad's survival, eases alien captures, and is versatile enough for any situation. Overwatch Rifleman :Covering Fire, Smoke and Mirrors, Rifle Suppression, Dense Smoke, Sentinel Support Class "sentinel build" ideal for squads consisting of 3 Heavies / M.E.C.s for breaking cover, and 2 S.H.I.V.s for high-risk scouting and suppression. Three Dense Smoke protects the S.H.I.V.s as they absorb enemy fire, The Support carries an Arc Thrower (upgraded with Drone Capture and S.H.I.V. Repair) to keep the SHIVs and MECs propped up. Rifle Suppression deals with multiple tough enemies in a mission. Sentinel and Covering Fire performs flawlessly against enemy flankers. Psi-Soldier Rifleman :Sprinter, Smoke and Mirrors, Rifle Suppression, Combat Drugs, Savior :Optional: Mimetic Skin, Psi Inspiration Support Class "rookie trainer build" specifically designed for training Rookies and Squaddies during Scout crash site missions and Covert Operations against EXALT. Combat Drugs (coupled with Lead By Example) counteracts panic-induced Intimidate. Two Savior Medikits, Combat Stims, and Suppression are vital against tougher targets, locking them down and letting Rookies engage in target practice. Multiplayer Support Classes The following is a detailed break-down of the Support Class stats and abilities in multiplayer mode. Note: Each soldier class has a base cost of 800 points, which would need to be added to the values above to determine the point value of a particular soldier. The above point and stat values reflect the default (0 point) equipment load-out. Multiplayer Tactics Support Class soldiers are surprisingly effective in multiplayer. Their Medikits can save a unit and bring it back into battle or heal a soldier to flank an unsuspecting enemy once again. *'Imperators' are rare, deadly, and efficient with the right setup: **Light Plasma Rifle and a scope grants 110 Aim on attack and 90 Aim in Overwatch. ***Note that a Sentinel Support can actually hit twice on the same enemy in Overwatch providing it lives. This will occur when the Support leaves cover then fires, ducks into cover and then when fully crouched-the animation is ready, if the enemy is still moving it will pop back up again and take a second shot, very lethal against many enemies especially Chryssalids. You can then add either Chitin Plating or a Mind Shield to be a effective counter to either Chryssalids or Sectoid Commanders as you can 2 shot both of them. Taking Carapace Armor is a fine choice to boost survivability cheaply, if you want you can go for a Skeleton Suit to make the soldier a walking Berserker with Blood Call (Around 21 tiles maximum distance you can dash). With Deep Pockets you can squeeze a scope and Chitin Plating/Mind Shield in, making it cost 4050 points. You can then add another Support-this time he's a smoke jumper with a Light Plasma and scope for more firepower. Then add a Sectoid Commander which can deal with any big enemy that your soldiers can't deal with OR that he is strong enough that he can overwhelm his own team (e.g. a expensive soldier 6000-8000 points which holds psi abilities as well). Then add 3 Sectoids, their 4 damage Plasma Pistols are excellent at dealing damage from afar and in a safe place, and they can engage in suppression. Being able to reduce the target's Aim by 30% and get in a free shot which can deal a little bonus damage if you're lucky. Not to mention that suppression stacks. With all your Sectoids you can make a single target have 1% shots. They also have the Mind Merge ability which can help, however it must be used based on the situation-if an enemy is too close he can take down a baby and adult bird with one stone. One can sit back and Mind Merge, providing covering fire if something comes a bit too close. Category:Soldier Classes